'Nonpartisan' alliance is an imposter

By BRIAN MANNAL

capecodtimes.com

Writer

Posted Aug. 22, 2014 at 8:35 PM

Posted Aug. 22, 2014 at 8:35 PM

» Social News

By BRIAN MANNAL

Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox a couple of weeks ago and found a glossy four-page color pamphlet with my picture on it. Well, truth be told, it wasn't "my" picture. It was a Cape Cod Times photo of me from December 2012 (before I lost 30 pounds) that had been cropped and darkened to make me look older and more overweight than I am. I recognized the photo immediately. I hate that photo. And it was at that exact moment that I realized I had reached a new level of political accomplishment — I was the target of a political attack ad.

Of course, political attack ads don't come with warning labels. In fact, they are designed to fool voters. One of the ways in which they achieve this goal is by falsely claiming to be something that they are not, such as a reliable source of unbiased information. Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance (MassFiscal.org) is a 501(c)4 organization that describes itself as "nonpartisan" and "committed to improving the quality of life in Massachusetts."

From my perspective, for a "nonpartisan" organization, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance's leadership team is decidedly Republican. Of course, MFA's leaders are not your average Republicans. The group of individuals managing and directing MFA is a virtual who's who of Republican political operatives in the Bay State.

For example, MFA Chairman Rick Green is a major Republican donor. MFA Finance Chairman Jim Rappaport was the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party during the Clinton era. MFA Executive Director Paul Craney is the former chairman of the D.C. Republican Committee. MFA Political Director Carl Copeland is a campaign adviser to several of the state's most conservative Republican legislators (i.e., those who would say that most of their conservative views are in line with the tea party). Finally, Legislative Director Laurie Belsto is a former research associate at the Heritage Foundation, the uber-conservative political think tank that the Southern Poverty Law Center named to its "hate group" watch list.

If you still believe that MFA is a legitimate, nonpartisan organization, then consider the fact that all of MFA's endorsed politicians are Republicans and all of the organization's lowest-ranked politicians are Democrats. Furthermore, consider the fact that the organization has yet to spend money promoting endorsed Republicans in the way that it has spent money to vilify and defame Democrats. In other words, in the post-Citizens United world of politics, MFA and other "tax-exempt" organizations are capable of dedicating considerable resources to the "social welfare" of publishing glossy pamphlets that slander public servants.

In my opinion, violating copyright laws and masquerading as an apolitical nonprofit is one thing, but creatively arranging facts to confuse and mislead voters is another thing altogether.

To set the record straight, I am not against increasing local aid. In fact, I voted to increase it by $25 million this year (House Roll Call Vote #299). I am not against the existing health care system and for replacing it with Obamacare. I believe that Massachusetts dodged a bureaucratic bullet by enacting Romneycare before Obamacare. Notwithstanding, Massachusetts, like every other state in the nation, was required to adopt the Affordable Care Act as a condition for the receipt of federal funding (House Roll Call Vote #147).

Likewise, I am not for denying veterans priority housing benefits over illegal immigrants. The House never voted on that issue, and the roll call vote cited in the recent MFA mass mailer (House Roll Call Vote #241) was related to a vote on the chair's ruling that a Republican amendment to prioritize housing benefits exceeded the scope of the legislation that it sought to amend. I did vote for the gas tax. The MFA got me there. However, I stand by that decision because I understand the need for safe roads and bridges.

As a state representative, I have worked for the betterment of the community that I call home. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. When taunted on Twitter by conservative demagogues, I may Tweet back to thank the naysayers, trolls and seedy political underbelly of the Internet and let them know that their negative energy makes me stronger. Either way, I will not stand by and allow the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance (nor any other shady political organization) to intentionally distort my voting record or mislead voters about my positions on issues.

Brian Mannal of Centerville is the Democratic state representative for the 2nd Barnstable District.